Even Moms Feel Helpless Sometimes

Megumi Kato wasn't surprised by her mother's questions. In fact, before asking for the aquarium tickets, she had already mentally prepared herself for the barrage of questions.

Her mom was always strict when it came to these things. While she didn't go as far as to interfere with Megumi's friendships, it was clear that her mom would much prefer that Megumi spend her weekends at home, studying.

Perhaps that was her mom's idea of a model child.

Her mom always tried to plan everything for her, saying things like, "It's all for your own good. Don't let your father and me down. You must become a top student," and so on.

Megumi had long learned to tune it out, but hearing the same words over and over made her tired.

She thought to herself, If one day, my mom finds out I have someone I like—and that it's a girl—she'll probably be really disappointed. But I never wanted to be the obedient daughter she's planned out for me.

With that thought in mind, Megumi made up her mind. She smiled and introduced her companion to her mom:

"As of now, she's my classmate, a really cute girl. You've probably heard of her before—Izumi Kotomi. We went to see a movie in Roppongi together."

Upon hearing this, Megumi's mother, Ikemi Kato, who had been a little concerned and suspicious, suddenly relaxed. Her face softened into a smile as she said,

"Oh~ So, you're going with that girl from the Izumi family? No problem, then. Just make sure you take care of her while you're out."

"Huh? Mom, have you met Kotomi before?" Megumi asked, surprised.

She had only mentioned Kotomi's name to her mother before, but now her mom seemed to speak as if she was quite familiar with her, like she was talking about a family friend's child.

"I ran into her mom while I was out grocery shopping. She was heading to the store at the same time, and since there's only one family around here with the surname Izumi, I went over to say hello. It turns out her eldest daughter really is named Kotomi. We ended up chatting the entire way to the store."

Ikemi Kato continued, not forgetting to add her admiration:

"I have to say, Kotomi's mother is truly a beautiful woman. Both of her daughters have clearly inherited her stunning looks. Despite being around my age, her skin and complexion make her look like a woman in her early twenties. I'm definitely going to ask her for beauty tips next time I see her."

Hearing that her mom had met Kotomi's mom and that they had gotten along well, Megumi breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Kotomi is my best friend at school. Do you mind if I bring her over to our house sometime?" Megumi asked.

"Of course not! I'd love to meet her."

When it came to Megumi's friendships, Ikemi Kato firmly believed in the saying, "You are the company you keep," so she was always very strict about the people Megumi associated with.

But when Megumi brought up Kotomi, Ikemi quickly accepted the idea, even going so far as to say that she had been wanting to meet her for a while now.

The sudden change in attitude was as if the mere mention of Kotomi's name had convinced her that the girl was trustworthy.

If only Mom would accept my relationship with Kotomi as easily when the time comes, Megumi thought to herself.

Just as Ikemi was about to head to the kitchen to start dinner, Megumi suddenly called out from behind her:

"Mom."

"Hm? What is it?" Ikemi turned back, curious.

"For the end-of-term exams, if I place in the top three of my class, can I go camping in Yamanashi by myself over the winter break?"

Megumi had been planning to ask this question yesterday, but hadn't found the right moment.

"You want to go camping in Yamanashi? By yourself? That doesn't sound very safe."

"Don't worry. Grandpa and Grandma have taught me everything I need to know about camping."

Ikemi let out a helpless sigh, almost as if she were complaining: "Your grandparents, honestly... Of all the things they could have taught you, it had to be camping. Do you really think sleeping in a tent is comfortable?"

Ikemi Kato had never fully understood Megumi's love for camping.

As someone who had grown up in an affluent family in the bustling city, Ikemi had never been interested in outdoor activities like camping. Her lifestyle, though not exactly luxurious, had always been comfortable, and even before marriage, she had never lifted a finger for household chores.

With her upbringing, it was hard for Ikemi to understand what was so fun about camping.

She would much rather see her daughter spend the winter break learning calligraphy, flower arranging, or koto—skills Ikemi herself had mastered from a young age and always wanted to pass down to Megumi.

But Megumi had always maintained the same attitude toward these things: Not interested. Don't want to learn.

Whenever Ikemi tried to teach her, Megumi would skillfully change the subject, and by the time Ikemi realized it, her daughter had already slipped away.

Each time, Ikemi was left feeling disappointed, as she was unable to cultivate her daughter's interest in these traditional arts. She had hoped that, by nurturing these skills, they could have more to talk about as mother and daughter.

Still, if her daughter was confident enough to place in the top three of her class, agreeing to her request wasn't out of the question.

With that thought in mind, Ikemi nodded and said,

"If you really do make it to the top three in the end-of-term exams, then you can take your little scooter and go camping in Yamanashi during the winter break. But really, you're already thinking about winter break when the school year has just started? Is that the kind of attitude you should have toward studying? Megumi, you're in high school now. You should be—"

"Okay, okay, I got it, Mom! I'm going upstairs to do my homework now. Thanks for the bento, it was delicious. Looking forward to dinner! Bye!"

Not wanting to be lectured for hours, Megumi quickly found an excuse and slipped back to her room.

"This child... She's becoming more and more difficult to handle," Ikemi sighed with a wry smile.

Back in her room, Megumi closed the door, locked it, and then picked up her charging tablet from the bedside table.

Lying on her side, one hand propping up her cheek, she used the other to open the Amazon app.

"Now that the camping trip is confirmed, and I've prepared all the necessary gear, I need something special for Kotomi… something to make it memorable."

As she said this, a sly smile played across Megumi's lips. She typed "pure white bed sheet" into the search bar and hit enter.

Among the listed products, she chose one that matched the dimensions of the tent's base, and without hesitation, she clicked "confirm purchase."

It was as if she were afraid that if she delayed even a second, someone else might snatch it up first.

After completing the purchase, Megumi exited the app and looked at the wallpaper on her tablet—a picture she had secretly taken of Kotomi sleeping in class, looking adorably peaceful.

Smiling to herself as she stared at the photo, Megumi murmured,

"Kotomi, I'm really looking forward to our camping trip together. I know camping doesn't require a bed sheet—just a sleeping bag—but to create unforgettable memories… it has to be pure white."

After speaking, Megumi lay back on her bed, her eyes gleaming with intoxicated desire as she gazed at the photos of Kotomi on her screen.

Her hand...

Slowly slid down her body.

When Kotomi got home, she went to the living room and found her mother, Izumi Akina.

"Mom, I'm thinking of going to the aquarium this Saturday with a friend."

"Huh? The aquarium? Why did you suddenly decide to go to an aquarium?" Akina seemed quite surprised.

After all, knowing her eldest daughter, Kotomi would usually prefer to go to a seafood restaurant rather than an aquarium.

So, when she heard that Kotomi wanted to visit an aquarium, Akina's first thought was whether one of the aquariums had opened a seafood buffet.

"A friend invited me."

That explains it... Akina thought to herself. After all, the chances of Kotomi suggesting the aquarium herself were slim. A seafood restaurant would have made more sense.

"Which aquarium is your friend inviting you to?"

"The Aqua Park aquarium in Shinagawa."

"Shinagawa?" Upon hearing this, Akina became a bit concerned. After all, from Chiba to Shinagawa, a one-way trip would take at least 1 hour and 22 minutes, assuming everything went smoothly.

If there were any delays, a single trip could take one and a half or even two hours.

Moreover, since they'd need to transfer trains along the way, missing one train could cause them to miss several others in a domino effect.

Akina was about to say something about it being too far and unsafe, and suggest they go to a closer aquarium in Chiba.

But before she could speak, Kotomi added:

"Oh right, the friend I'm going with is Kato Megumi. She's the one who invited me to the aquarium. Mom, is it okay if I go with Megumi to the aquarium on Saturday?"

The moment Akina heard that Megumi was involved, she swallowed the words she was about to say and reassured Kotomi instead:

"Huh? You're going with Megumi? Oh, then it's no problem at all. After all, we still haven't figured out a return gift for her from the last time. We definitely can't say no! Of course you can go. Just make sure to stay safe. If you have too much fun and it gets late before you head home, don't rush. Just find a nice hotel to stay at and give us a call."

Kotomi's head was instantly filled with question marks.

Mom.

What are you saying?

Are you really so trusting of Megumi that you'd feel okay with me staying overnight at a hotel with her?

Has Megumi somehow become like a second daughter to you ever since she visited our house?!?

"Mom, are you really okay with me staying at a hotel with another girl?" Kotomi tentatively asked.

"What's there to worry about?" Akina replied, then added, "If it were any other girl, and you were planning to stay overnight at such a distant aquarium, I'd definitely worry. But since it's Megumi, that's different. Not only would I be okay with it, but I bet your dad would agree too."

Has Megumi really gained such a high level of trust from both of my parents?!?

Kotomi was stunned to realize that, if she hadn't asked, she wouldn't have known her parents held Megumi in such high regard.

"Sigh... you and Dad really trust Megumi way too much. At this rate, I could tell you both that I want to marry her, and you'd just give your approval, wouldn't you?" Kotomi half-joked.

Hearing this, Akina's expression immediately turned serious. She looked directly at Kotomi with an unwavering gaze.

Startled by her mom's reaction, Kotomi instinctively shrunk back, thinking maybe she'd taken the joke too far and upset her mom.

Just as she was about to apologize, Akina gently patted her on the shoulder, her tone becoming solemn and as if Kotomi really was about to get married:

"Kotomi, you've got it a bit wrong. I think it's more likely that you won't be the one marrying Megumi but that Megumi will marry you and take you back with her."

After saying this, Akina made a mock gesture of wiping away tears, as if she were watching her daughter walk down the aisle: "Oh dear, the thought of you getting married and having to change your name to Kato Kotomi makes me feel so bittersweet. It's like the cherry blossoms in June..."

"Mom, you can only see cherry blossoms in March and April. By June... they're long gone," Kotomi couldn't help but correct, twitching her mouth slightly.

"Huh? Is it March to April? No wonder when I complained to Kaneyoshi in June about not seeing any cherry blossoms, he was holding back laughter so hard he almost choked!"

Akina, a native-born Japanese, didn't know that cherry blossoms only bloom in March and April?

Kotomi found it hard to believe.

There's got to be a story behind this.

Kotomi made a mental note to ask her dad about it later.

Then she suddenly remembered what her mom had just said, and her soft, delicate face blushed bright red as she shyly said:

"Mom! What are you even talking about, with me marrying Megumi and all?! I was just joking..."

Kotomi's face grew redder and redder as she tried to explain, her voice growing softer with each word until it almost disappeared entirely.

Seeing her daughter's shy reaction, Akina couldn't help but quote a line she'd recently heard in a TV drama:

"My dear daughter, the eyes never lie. How many truths are spoken under the guise of a joke?"

Wow, that wasn't just one TV drama line; that's a mash-up of two!

"This isn't funny, Mom! What do you mean by Kato Kotomi..." Kotomi mumbled, her face still flushed.

"Oh? Does that mean you'd prefer another name after marriage? Like Yukinoshita Kotomi? Or perhaps Yuigahama Kotomi?"

"Stop, stop, stop! This is getting out of hand! Please, Mom, stop!" Kotomi hastily cut in, worried that if her mom kept going, her younger sister Aimi might overhear.

If Aimi did overhear...

Kotomi couldn't even begin to imagine her reaction, but she knew it was best to avoid the possibility altogether.

Akina, satisfied she had teased her daughter enough, chuckled mischievously:

"Getting shy just over the thought of taking your wife's surname? Oh dear, little Kotomi, you're just too adorable when you're embarrassed. How is anyone supposed to resist you like this? Honestly, I'm even starting to worry if Aimi can resist the temptation of your beauty~ Hehe, just kidding."

"That's not true," Kotomi retorted, her face still red with embarrassment, but her voice defiant.

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